A U.S. District Court judge in Virginia dismissed a $5 million civil lawsuit last month against the $21.3 billion Pentagon Federal Credit Union because the allegations of sexual harassment, a hostile work environment, retaliation, age discrimination and wrongful discharge, were not backed up by sufficient facts from the former employee who claimed them.

In January, Celia Coleman, 55, of Brandywine, Md., a 31-year former employee, filed the civil suit against PenFed. The lawsuit alleged that a woman supervisor sexually demeaned and assaulted Coleman repeatedly. The lawsuit also charged that the other three female employees encouraged and condoned the sexual harassment and they targeted Coleman for termination.

“Accordingly, plaintiff (Coleman) has not pleaded sufficient facts to show that there was any harassing conduct, let alone that it was severe or pervasive,” U.S. District Judge Leonie M. Brinkema in Alexandria, Va., wrote in a 12-page ruling released on March 17.

Even though Coleman filed a complaint with her supervisor about being discriminated and targeted by another employee, Coleman did not provide information about alleged specific incidents of such conduct, Judge Brinkema noted in the ruling.

 

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